


More Than Enough

by dryadgrl13



Category: Helix Waltz (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Jealousy, Juven's POV, Light Angst, M rating for mild NSFW sexy times, Misunderstandings, Self-Worth Issues, mentions of coping through alcohol, somebody give Juven a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-30
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-10-19 14:30:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17603099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dryadgrl13/pseuds/dryadgrl13
Summary: Madga's understanding, patience, and rationale for their political marriage (and what it would entail) disturbed Juven. He hugged her and demanded she do better for herself.She asked him what could be better than marrying the only man in the world she truly trusted? What could be better than marrying her best friend?





	More Than Enough

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for any character or world building discrepancies. I haven't been playing Helix Waltz for very long. I was so overwhelmed by the richness and depth of the characters in-game that I had to write my own fic. Shout out to hanaki, gdcee, antearose, and many more for inspiring me with their writing/art for this fandom.

Viscount Juven Sakan was pleasantly surprised by Magda Ellenstein. She was lovely, to be sure, but there was more to her than that. His interest was piqued after their first meeting, and grew exponentially every time he saw her thereafter. She knew how to play a part, as did he. She’d bat her lashes, smile sweetly, and say exactly what her companion-of-the-moment wanted to hear. The woman seemed guileless, even when personal or professional slights accidentally fell from her perfectly rouged lips. Her mortification seemed real enough, and within moments she would have charmed her way back into the good graces of her partner. Juven was thoroughly impressed.

Within a month of knowing her, he began to think of her as an ally.

Within three months of knowing her, he began caller her his friend.

Within six months of knowing her, he let her see behind his facade.

She reciprocated, which was validating. Juven had had enough of one-sided relationships in his life. His friendship with Magda was...refreshing. She was as cunning and intelligent as he was, though she lacked his political and social motivations. He had learned that everything she did, she did for her family (and oh, how that resonated with him). She hated her corsets and stilettos, but she wore them for her mother. She despised the double-speak and innuendos required to flatter and inflate the egos of the sycophants that surrounded her, but she acted that way for her mother. Above all things, she found the spreading of rumors most distasteful. Magda had cried in his arms during a visit with Barbara as she confessed to him the things she’d said about his family by order of her Patron.

The bastard.

It had taken all of Juven’s control not to storm out of his house, track down his father, and throttle the man for making his beautiful eyas cry.

Even if he hadn’t have held himself in check, retribution wasn’t necessary, for an eyas Magda was. Her eyes saw everything. Her instincts guided her to victory time after time again. Her mother had trained her well, and Juven made sure to supplement those lessons whenever possible. Magda needed no one to hold her hand. He truly believed that by year’s end, she would have pulled the Ellenstein name back into not only the Senate, but also the ton.

********************

The day Asteria tore Juven’s hopes and heart in two, he found himself outside of Magda’s window in the middle of the night. The wind pulled at his cloak and muffled his pounding fists, but it wasn’t long before she threw open the panes and ushered him inside. He barely remembered travelling to the house, and he can barely recall how the rest of the night went. When he closes his eyes and thinks back, he can almost feel the weight of Magda’s peach-colored duvet, warmed and smelling faintly of perfume. He remembers his hair falling loose around his face and the soothing tug of Magda’s fingers against his scalp. He can’t pick from memory anything specific she said to him, but her voice had been a calming lullaby that had ushered him into a dreamless sleep, right there in her room.

Whatever else had happened was drowned and lost by the sorrow and brandy. Juven should have been mortified by his behavior, but he couldn’t muster an ounce of guilt or shame. His heart was broken, and his eyas had comforted him. He swore then and there that he would always do the same for her.

******************

Juven had learned long ago that matters of the heart, romantically speaking or not, were best left ignored. Too much was at stake. He had erred in humoring his own infatuation with Asteria. That was made clear to him in the most painful of ways. He resolved to be steadfast in his previous, self-imposed rule.

So when Magda proposed to him, he immediately and emphatically turned her down.

It wasn’t because he didn’t love her. Love in marriage was an anomaly for high society. It was _because_ he loved her that he refused her. He loved her as his ally. As his eyas. As his friend. He also knew that she believed in love, especially in marriage. Why was she settling for The Shame of Finsel?

He had a searing moment of terror as he considered the possibility that she was in love with him romantically. They had always flirted. He had thought she knew that flirting was a tool (like a ball peen hammer or quill pen) used merely to accomplish specific goals. How could she have misunderstood their relationship?

His eyas was persistant, though. She promised him that their marriage would be one of convenience. His family wanted him to settle down, to dispell his “playboy” persona. As head of the Family, he would need to produce an heir in the near future. She dreamed of the day she would be out from underneath her mother’s thumb. That day was upon her, now that the Ellenstein name had been restored to society. Magda claimed that none of the men she had met in all her time in Finsel had moved her in the way their friendship had. She trusted him. She cared for him. They were friends. Could he not see the benefits in a unity between them?

Magda swore she would never pressure him for a physical relationship, but would be amenable to one when he decided the time was right to create an heir. She also swore she would never begrudge him any trips to the red light district when he felt the need for that type of late night companionship. Her understanding, patience, and rationale for their marriage and what it would entail disturbed him. He hugged her and demanded she do better for herself.

She asked him what could be better than marrying the only man in the world she truly trusted? What could be better than marrying her best friend?

They eloped a week later, traveling to Hondo in secret and creating a scandal that would last the ages.

********************

They didn’t have a traditional wedding night until a month after they were married.

Juven didn’t want to make Magda feel like she owed him anything, and her body language always turned skittish when he ended their evenings by escorting her to her room in Sakan manor. They had decided that they would keep separate sleeping quarters, to honor each other’s privacy and space. She swore he was always welcome to visit her in hers, as she was always welcome in his. He didn’t have a burning and unquenchable desire to bed his unwilling wife, but some nights it was fun to make her squirm a bit. 

It was good to find joy in the little things in life.

Their arrangement changed the evening Magda came home early from the Jorcastle’s. Juven vaguely remembered she was supposed to have luncheon with that peacock of a man. He, or possibly a family member, must have said something horribly upsetting for Magda to come rushing home with a storm cloud hanging over her head. She had burst into Juven’s room, fists clenched and chest heaving, and unceremoniously flung herself onto his bed to shout unladylike epithets into his pillow.

He had a silent laugh at her dramatics and tried to figure out what had happened, but Magda was having none of it. She skirted his questions expertly while chewing on her bottom lip. She settled herself more comfortably on the edge of the bed in order to speak to him, and Juven found it curious that her eyes kept shifting from his face to other parts of his body.

She talked of the kind of food that was served for lunch while her gaze lingered around his collarbone. She relayed small pieces of information she had uncovered about different social schemes of the Duchess’, all while staring at his fingers as he fiddled with an inkwell. Wanting to test his observations, he stood and moved to sit next to her on the bed, paying attention in his periphery as she openly watched his legs as he walked towards where she was sitting.

What had gotten into her?

He didn’t have a chance to ask. The moment he alighted next to her she toppled sideways into his lap. The next moment found her arms curling around his neck and her lips plying his with kisses.

He laughed at the absurdity of what was happening. She leaned backwards and glared at him, pouting in the most adorable way. His hands were at her waist, keeping her from falling off of both him and the bed. She shifted gracefully, gathering her legs underneath herself and moving to straddle his waist. His fingers clenched at the fabric gathered around her hips and he hissed a warning in her ear.

She was going too far. There was a line she was about to cross that there was no returning from. She didn’t know what she was doing. Not really.

And yet she continued. His protests were silenced as she delicately bit his lower lip. She used the weight and angle of her body as leverage to tip him backwards, and she settled more firmly on top on him. He couldn’t help his hips from twisting up into the cradle of hers as she ran her hands possessively down his chest, her fingertips ghosting over his nipples, either accidentally or on purpose. 

_Please_ , she asked with both body and words.

Juven had a long list of things he could never deny her. The pleasure of his bed was one more item to add to that list.

***************

Life was strange for him after that. He and Magda carried on as they always had. Nothing changed in their interactions with one another.

Juven felt like something should have changed. Something was different. He just couldn’t place his finger on what.

He did start catching Magda smiling at him when she thought he wasn’t looking. It was a smile he had never seen her wear before. The curve of her lips conveyed a smugness he had never associated with her kind and gentle spirit. It bordered the edge of a cat-got-the-canary grin. The smile would vanish when he’d turn his full attention to her, but he was certain he saw it every time.

It was a good look for her. He wondered why she hid it from him.

Asteria appeared in his life again a few weeks later. She had been gone this whole time, having volunteered to escort a merchant affiliated with the Family on a trip out of State. Juven found he was immeasurably relieved for her to be home safe and sound. He had missed their long conversations. He had missed her insights, born from her century of time spent alive and interacting with all kinds of people. He had missed…

Well, he hadn’t missed _her_ , exactly. I mean, he had. Sort of.

If he was being honest with himself, he hadn’t thought much about Asteria after his elopement. His life had been so full of changes since then. His mind spent most of its time occupied with either business for the Family or being with Magda. Juven was happy having Asteria back at Sakan Manor, living in the suite of rooms she’d always lived in, going about the tasks she’d always done.

It didn’t occur to him that there could be any problems.

***************

Magda came home late one evening from the Spire and fell straight into his arms, openly sobbing and clinging to him in the foyer. He half-carried her to her room and sat with her until she had composed herself enough to explain what was wrong.

She wouldn’t go into details. She refused to speak plainly. All she would do was apologize to him, over and over again. He was finally able to parse together that she had allowed someone to kiss her, the implication being more than a respectful brush of lips across a cheek.

Juven felt wretched. Her shame in this matter was entirely his fault. He spent the rest of the night in bed with her, curled on top of the covers. He calmed her and held her, promising that there was little to nothing she could ever do that would make him hate her. She was free to kiss whomever she wanted. Their original marriage agreement extended to her as well as him. As long as she was cautious, she had the right to do whatever she pleased with whomever she pleased. Juven would never begrudge her any happiness she found outside of him.

She fell asleep in his arms soon enough, but unconsciousness eluded him. He lay next to her in bed, wondering why it felt as though a hand was wrapped tight around his windpipe, threatening to squeeze the life out of him. 

***************

Several days later, Juven was sitting across from his uncle at the Chamber of Commerce when a courier delivered a note from Magda. The message was two lines long: _Will be out late with a friend tonight. Be at ease in not waiting up for me._

It was code. Both him and Magda had agreed upon it. They had promised to alert each other when one of them was engaging in a tryst. Apparently, his wife was going to be the first one to use the code.

Juven wanted to drop the note on the ground, step on it repeatedly, then pick it up and toss it into the miniscule hearth in Barris’ office.

He did none of those things. He simply held the note, staring at it for a bit too long. His uncle inquired if he was alright, to which Juven nodded woodenly, pasted on a false smile, and continued their conversation about wool taxation.

The day dragged on endlessly after that. Juven felt as though he was moving through water, his limbs and heart creating a heavy weight that bore him downward towards a dark and murky abyss. He went straight home after meeting with Barris. He kept himself busy with inane, time-consuming tasks. Every time he glanced out the window, the sun seemed only inches farther in the sky than it had been before. It began to drive him a bit mad, which was when he closeted himself in the library where there were enough books and brandy to keep him occupied until nightfall.

He skipped dinner, waving away his butler when they tried to bring him a plate. He ignored his sister when she tried coaxing him into the music room to play with her (she must have known something was wrong. Barbara _loathed_ playing the piano). Juven stayed locked away in the library, pacing the span of the room with a book in one hand and a half empty snifter in the other. He paced and read, drank and paced, until he heard the tell-tale sounds of a carriage coming up the drive.

He finally halted his movement. He tossed his book onto the sofa, set down his empty glass on a side table, and slowly counted to thirty.

On the count of thirty-one, he left the library. By the count of fifty-eight, he had reached the foyer. By the count of a hundred and two, he had climbed the flight of stairs that led to the family rooms and was knocking on Magda’s door.

He heard her muffled voice through the door and found that he couldn’t contain himself any longer.

He threw open the door and vaguely registered it slamming open into the wall. He stepped inside and kicked it shut behind him, his eyes glued to his wife as she stood in front of her vanity.

She had removed the outer layers of the dress she had been wearing, leaving her only in a pale slip. He seemed to have interrupted her as she was removing her makeup. His mind was muddled with brandy, and he found he couldn’t focus on what she was saying to him. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the small, purpling bruises that littered her collarbone and shoulders, strategically low enough to be hidden underneath a high-necked gown.

Juven made a noise he’d never before made in his life before hurling himself at Magda.

She was lifted onto her vanity, knocking jewelry and bottles of perfume onto the floor in the process. Juven’s fingers dug into her thighs as he spread them wide enough for him to stand in between. Her hands burrowed into his hair, trying to lift his head so that she could talk to him.

He didn’t want to talk. He wanted his wife. He wanted to banish the thought of another person’s lips on her body. He wanted to cover the evidence on her skin with proof of his own adoration. He wanted to hear the sweet and intoxicating noises she makes while taking her pleasure, and hope that he was the only one that inspired them.

He wanted to forget the stupid deal they made when they were married, but it was too late for that. For now, all he could do was love her, and hope it would be enough.

He murmured nonsense into the space below her ear and felt her sigh. Her hands fisted into his hair as he picked her up and carried her to the bed. He was too far gone to even attempt to take her clothes off, let alone his. He settled for tugging the straps of her slip down enough that he could reach her pert nipples. He rucked up her hem so that it stayed bunched at her hips, exposing her core to his greedy fingers. He wanted to weep at how ready she was for him.

He almost did. Droplets formed at the corners of his eyes, but he willed them away. He refused to think that someone else had primed her for him. He refused to dwell on the image forming behind his eyes of someone else towering over her, cradling her face in their hands as they fucked into her.

He heard his name and he opened his eyes. His wife stared up at him with concern on her face. Concern, desire, and love.

It had to be enough. He would make it be enough.

He sank into her moments later. She keened his name again, and he almost lost the ability to breathe. She was everything. Everywhere. He wanted to be surrounded by her for the rest of his life. She had ruined him for anyone else. There was only Madga. There had only ever been Magda.

His wife. His eyas. His heart.

Juven cursed the brandy he had been soaking his senses in all day long. He was running on instincts and desires, not his normal, smoothly calculated steps. He made love to her purely as he wanted to, and it was an unadulterated amalgamation of everything he had never dared put into words. 

********************

That night became the first of many in a pattern that literally drove Juven to drink.

He would receive a note from his wife sometime in the early afternoon. He would sulk and drink all day and into the night until she came home. He would corner her somewhere in their house and make love to her on whatever surface they were closest to. They would eventually make their way to Magda’s room to fall asleep together. They would wake with the sun and Juven would apologize for his impropriety. Magda would smile and tell him to never apologize for acting in any way that his feelings dictated. They would part ways, and Juven would be full to bursting with hope that the previous day would be the last day he’d ever receive a note from his wife.

Until another note would come for him, several days later.

The cycle continued for weeks. Juven was at his wits end, as was the rest of his family.

The copious amounts of brandy he was consuming spurred Barbara into staging an intervention with Barris and Asteria. Juven came home from a day at the races to find them all sitting in the parlor, waiting for his return. After learning why they all were there, and arguing with them for far too long, he conceded to talking privately with his uncle about what was “ailing” him.

After his sister and former infatuation left the house, Juven poured two fingers of whiskey for his uncle and proceeded to explain everything.

Absolutely everything.

Barris choked on his drink only once (to which Juven was marginally disappointed about). During Juven’s speech, his uncle had made himself comfortable, taking off his outer layer of Sakan colors and senator’s uniform while reclining in his wing-backed chair. When Juven was done speaking, Barris saluted him with the last of his whiskey before declaring that his nephew was an idiot.

Juven bristled, but didn’t deny it. He sat quietly as Barris pointed out that having a former love interest living in the same house as a current wife was bound to lead to misunderstandings and hurt feelings. He urged Juven to sit down with Magda and clearly explain why Asteria was staying at the Manor, and what that meant for their marriage.

Juven interrupted him then, insisting that a discussion was not necessary. Juven never spent his evenings in Asteria’s rooms. He had never exchanged romantic gestures of affection with her, even before he became a married man. There was no reason for Magda to believe there was anything other than friendship between him and his Family’s elf.

_Idiot_ , Barris reiterated. _Absolute moron._

His uncle imparted more observations and advice before leaving, all of which led to Juven sequestering himself in his room to think. He went out to dinner that night with Magda and Barbara, mainly to show his sister that all was well again.

The next evening he hosted a formal dinner for his family. All the Sakans were in attendance, including Asteria and Magda’s mother. Juven watched as his wife deftly avoided speaking directly to Asteria. He watched the light is Magda’s eyes dim a little whenever he leaned close to Asteria to tell her something. He offered Asteria a dance and observed as Magda busied herself with something on the opposite side of the room.

_Idiot_ , Barris’ voice scolded in his head. _Absolute moron._

Was Magda truly worried about his affections? Was she actively seeking comfort in another person because of insecurities? Why would she do that if she had sworn that they would never be first in each other’s hearts romantically?

_If your personal feelings on the situation have changed, hers may have as well._ His uncle’s words resonated throughout his body as the evening progressed. He felt the certainty of it deep in his bones. Now all he had to do was figure out how to proceed, how to navigate this new and uncharted territory. 

********************

The next day, as Magda was leaving the house to complete several social obligations, she informed him that she would be visiting the Spire that evening. She may be there for a while, so he would do well to have dinner without her.

Juven set down the cuff link he had been putting on and hugged her. He held her beautiful face in his hands and kissed her deeply, muting the noise of surprise she made. He smiled at her, wished her a pleasant day, and returned to dressing himself.

She left the house shortly thereafter, and Juven knew that the time to act was upon him. He spent the day preparing for when his wife would return to him.

And return she did, though much later than she ever had before. Juven had accidentally dozed off while waiting, and thanked the Goddess for the obnoxiously loud noise the carriage made as it traversed the loose gravel drive. He stayed where he was, counting the seconds until Magda would open the double doors and stumble upon the scene he had set for her.

He knew she was smart enough to follow the trail of petals from the foyer to the music room. She wouldn’t go upstairs first. Not his curious eyas.

He was proven right moments later when he heard the doors creak open behind where he sat. He looked over his shoulder, sending a gentle smile to his wife as he beckoned her to come sit beside him on the love seat.

Magda slowly crossed the room to meet him, surprise and caution keeping her movements measured and demure. She sat down on the cushion next to him and gasped in shock as he fluidly slid from the love seat down to the floor, falling onto one knee before her.

He clasped her hands in his and began his story.

He told her of a young and foolish man who thought he had fallen in love with a woman. The young man’s heart had broken when he realized the woman would never love him in return. The young man found solace in his best friend, and his heart recovered faster than the young man thought possible.

Unfortunately, the friend’s love and commitment were repaid through pain. The young man hurt his friend, many times over, all without knowing he had. The young man truly was a fool, and brought shame upon himself through his thoughtlessness. It took a long time, but finally the young man came to his senses and realized what he was doing. The young man threw himself at his best friend's feet and begged for forgiveness, for the young man knew there would be no recovering from the loss of this friend. They were dearer than his own life. He cried when they cried and felt pain when they hurt. This friend spoke to his soul through everything they did, and the young man’s life would be a desolate wasteland without them.

Juven reached into his pocket and presented Magda with a ring. It was very different from the wedding ring she currently wore. The ring in his hand bore the delicate, silver fixture of a falcon in flight. A petite blue diamond was placed in each spot where the falcon’s eyes were.

_This foolish young man wants his best friend to be his wife_ , Juven said to Magda. _In all ways. She will come first in his life, above all others. She will be the one he goes to for comfort of any kind. He…_

Juven had to pause and breathe deeply as he felt his thoughts begin to scatter with the pounding of his heart. _He knows there’s a chance that he...that this might not be enough. He wants to assure you...he wants to assure his best friend that she has always been enough. More than enough. He...he loves her beyond any…_

Magda cut off his stumbling by flinging herself down to the floor. They were a pile of loose limbs and tearful faces as they lay in front of the dying fire. She nuzzled into his chest and he wrapped her up in his arms, chuckling to himself with equal parts embarrassment and relief. She took the falcon ring from him and slipped it onto her right hand. It fit perfectly, just as he knew it would.

They stayed there for a while longer, speaking secrets to each other they thought they’d never be allowed to. To Juven’s great relief, Magda sheepishly admitted that she never truly slept with anyone other than him. She intended to, had several willing and eager candidates lined up, but found that she couldn’t bring herself to cross that line. She apologized for letting him think she had, and Juven couldn’t bring himself to be very upset by her deception. She claimed that if he hadn’t made love to her so wonderfully every time she came back from an “interlude,” she would have ended the farce much sooner.

Upon hearing this, Juven scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder as though she was a sack of sugar. Magda squealed in outrage, but barely put up a fight as he carried her to his room.

After all, it’s his job to make sure that his wife gets exactly what she wants.

**Author's Note:**

> I intend to write a fic for all the characters I've fallen in love with. Which ones are your favorites?


End file.
